Those Summer Mornings
by pussycatwithattitude
Summary: An early morning swim and a serious conversation in times of political threat can only strengthen the love between two individuals. Georg/Maria


**Note: **This is me apologising because it is taking me so long to write the next chapter of my on-going story. Just a fluffy one-shot that I hope you'll all enjoy! A little note, the Anschluss has not happened yet. Please let me know what you think.  
**Words: **2,674

**_Those Summer Mornings_**

Thursday morning rose, and it was beautiful. The sun had risen little over fifteen minutes ago, and the sweltering heat of the Austrian summer was apparent even now. The gardens of the von Trapp villa were scenic – its trees were blossoming and the greenery was spectacular as it paraded to the world its elegance and beauty. The water of the lake was still, there was no wind wishing to disrupt the natural ease – everywhere was silent bar the few birds harping delightful tunes in the trees and bushes of the grounds.

Georg strode through the house purposefully, his demeanour and authority clear as his pristine shoes clicked against the flooring. The house was silent, the children were still asleep. He had checked in each room before walking downstairs, and even Marta and Gretl the two early–risers were fast asleep and content in their dreams. The Captain had no choice but to chuckle as he had looked upon Brigitta, a book laid across her chest, clearly having fallen asleep whilst immersed in fiction. His heart swelled as he acknowledged her intellect, clearly way beyond the average for her age, as was shown with her reading choice. But Georg was proud of every single one of his children. He was proud of their accomplishments, and he was also proud of their capacity to love, and how they had accepted their father back into their hearts after he had neglected them for so long.

He felt a familiar ache as he began to remember. Georg would forever curse himself and be ashamed for the way he had treated his children after their mother's death. Beneath the placid exterior, the Captain was deeply scarred, and it had taken the magic of an unruly governess from the local convent and the reigniting of music in the household to realise the damage he had done.

Georg made his way to the back of the house, walking out onto the balcony and basking in the early sun. The heat was almost excruciating, and he could feel perspiration beginning to form on his forehead, and his neck began to feel uncomfortable. He was dressed in a simple shirt and a plain pair of trousers – and underneath he wore his swimwear, and only because he knew the children would beg him to join them in the lake as the day progressed – but still the heat was beginning to effect him. Georg came to the balcony edge, and as he placed his hands across the stone, he leant across and scanned the area before him with his eyes. He noticed the iron gate, just beside the lake, was open and he frowned, puzzled. Then he heard the splashes of water, and began to see the ripples forming. He could not see the figure who was causing them, for whomever it was happened to be hidden behind the rocks just to the right of the gate.

The Captain walked forward, curious to learn the identity of the mysterious morning swimmer. When he came to the open gate, he peered around the corner as far as he could, and soon there was a face to the swimmer. They did not see him; neither did they hear as he discarded all clothing down to his swimwear. He entered the water and made little sound, and as he swam towards the figure, who was now humming to themselves, they were still unaware of his presence.

Maria only learned of his presence as he swam beneath the water's surface and grabbed her leg. She gasped, and writhed until he surfaced. When he smiled at her, she merely glared. "You frightened me to death."

"Forgive me for wanting to surprise my wife."

"There is a difference between surprising her, and scaring her to within an inch of her life." Her face still looked stern, however as she enveloped her husband's dishevelled appearance, including his wet hair that now stuck up in many areas, Maria could not help but smile.

Georg noticed, and he kissed her lightly.

Maria responded to the kiss willingly, and began to wrap her arms around his neck whilst drawing herself closer to him. Her lips then moved to his cheek, which she kissed tenderly. It was only when Georg murmured that she pulled away.

"Should you be out here alone in your condition?"

"Georg," she warned. Maria frowned at his worried expression, and continued. "I have told you before, just because I am with child does not mean I am incapable of doing the things I usually do. I am perfectly fine."

"Until you're too large to tie your own shoes," Georg spoke from experience, a sly smile forming on his lips.

Maria moaned. "Oooooh, you incorrigible brute," Maria then leant forward and pressed her lips to his. She knew he was taking advantage of her difficulties the other afternoon to bend over and fix her shoes.

Georg laughed at his wife's comment, knowing that although she was an ex–postulant, she sometimes would come up with the most surprising of insults. When he first met her, when she came as a governess to his children, he often wondered why a woman with such an active nature and wide outlook on life would want to condemn herself to a life in a convent. A life of solitude and chastised, of which neither would suit his wife of almost a year. But she had revealed to him only weeks into their marriage, during their honeymoon in Paris, why she had wanted to become a nun.

It brought her a life of safety and security. It was a place where she would always feel the love of others, and God, and pledging her life to his service seemed a certifiable life after the years she had spent living with her uncle. It had been a delicate matter to reveal for Maria, but the tender caresses and touches from her husband had provided her with the necessary incentive to speak to him. After she had told him, Georg had proceeded in tenderly making love to her, promising that she would never be alone again, and would always be loved, and would never have to be concerned about her safety.

Georg responded to the kiss his wife had initiated, brushing his lips firmly across her own while his hands moved down her body beneath the water to eventually rest across her rounded stomach.

"Are the children awake?" asked Maria, after their long moment of kissing came to its inevitable end, when breathing became a necessity.

Georg shook his head, for the moment concentrating on his lips as moved across her jaw, cheek and then neck. "No," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her closer to him. He felt the warmth of her body against his own, and despite the weather conditions, it was an addition to his comfort. Feeling ripples of pleasure jolt through his body, the Captain tightened his hold. He let out a contented sigh as he stopped kissing her. He brought his thumb to her cheek, and rubbed it affectionately, his smile causing her to laugh. "I wondered where you were this morning." Georg had woken in an empty bed.

"I needed to cool down," she explained, drawing away from her husband and lowering her shoulders into the cold water. "And the baby would not stop moving, or kicking. Clearly she has her father's persistent nature, not letting her mother sleep." Maria winked at her husband, and a small smile also appeared on her lips. Neither of them knew the sex of the baby, however as Maria had learnt of her first pregnancy, Georg had felt it would be a girl – he called it sailor's intuition.

"O–ho," chuckled Georg, planting his own shoulders beneath the water surface so only his head remained on view. "My persistence? You, my darling, can be quite steadfast. At least when you want to be." Both laughed lightly at his response. He swam forwards, his hands moving to cup the six–month–old bump.

Maria smiled at his tenderness and affection, and moved her hand down to place across his. "It's hard to believe that, come the end of summer, we will have been married a year."

"A year has passed so quickly," Georg spoke. His thoughts then strayed to the upcoming war, and the impending Anchuluss that Austria knew would soon descend across their nation. There was rarely a day where Georg did not worry about this, and the effect it would have on his growing family. He had began to make plans, however, and he hoped that should they ever be forced to leave their home, they would be provided for.

Maria saw the look on his face, and recognised it. They talked about the political situation often, and he had shared everything with his wife about their plans. "It'll be fine, darling. We'll all be fine."

Georg promptly averted his eyes to his wife, and they evidently spoke of gratitude. Without her support, he felt inclined to admit he would be lost. "So much could happen, Maria. It's my job to keep this family safe."

She brought her hand to his cheek. "And you will. You always have, and you always will. I have complete faith in you."

Georg took her hand, and kissed the palm delicately. His lips then moved to her forehead as his hand came to her hair. He loved its length – he never thought he would, he had always thought it was normal for women to have longer hair. There was just something about its length that spoke about her character. When it had started to grow longer, Maria had insisted on having it cut. She argued that having it long would only be a nuisance, especially since she still took the children on numerous outings to their mountain, and playing games in the garden and swimming in the lake was no rare activity.

Georg loved everything about his wife – any of her imperfections were perfect to him. They would argue occasionally, all couples did, but often it had stemmed from silly matters. They would both recognise that, and would reconcile, usually in the bedroom. Although one steamy argument had come to its conclusion in Georg's study. The worst had been a steamy argument of conflicting opinions, and they had not spoken for three whole days. Maria's hormones due to pregnancy were the cause – perhaps that, or Georg's tendencies to be overly protective.

He had argued that she should not have been taking the children on all of their outings, especially since she was almost three months pregnant. Maria had flown back with a response, arguing that she was perfectly capable of looking after herself. In the end, Georg had insisted on coming with them – something that the children had been ecstatic and enthusiastic about, Maria not so much. He had kept a watchful eye on her the entire day, concerned and giving his opinion on everything she did.

Eventually, after two days of being smothered by her husband, Maria snapped. It even surprised her how long she had managed without snapping at her husband. She had shouted at him; argued that she would never do anything which could potentially harm their child, and that he should trust her. Georg had then looked to the floor solemnly and apologised, aware that he should have just trusted her.

But since then, Georg had been a little more carefree. Of course, he still worried about Maria, and sometimes his wife would find it endearing. But he learnt to trust that whatever she did, she would take the necessary precautions.

"Darling, the children will be waking soon. Shouldn't we head back?" Maria asked, pulling Georg from his thoughts.

Georg mumbled something incoherent, and then murmured. "Mmm." He then looked at his wife, and instantly changed his mind. "Or we could stay here a little longer. The children are bound to be exhausted after yesterday."

Maria laughed a little. "The picnic was fun. I can't wait until we can go with the new baby. To show my own child the mountains where I grew; the–" she stopped, as it suddenly dawned on her. The prospect of being forced from Austria, her child never knowing of her homeland and the joy a mountain could bring. As a girl, she had longed to show any children she may bear the mountains, and now, in the current circumstances, that seemed almost impossible.

Georg noticed her sorrow; the melancholy look across her beautiful features. "I'm sorry."

"I never realised," she mumbled, and as Georg's hand caressed her cheek once more she leant into his touch. His hand brought comfort to her aching soul. Change was happening so quickly, and change was difficult to cope with. For reasons she could never fathom, nor would even wish to understand, Maria felt a fervent desire take hold of her body. She looked up at her husband boldly and kissed him strongly.

Responding enthusiastically to her kiss, Georg wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. He heard her moan in delight, and as her arms rove through his hair and then traced the muscles across his back, he shivered. Removing his lips from her own, he began nibbling at her earlobe, whispering in her ear: "I refuse to believe you could ever have been a nun."

Upon hearing this, Maria laughed and drew away from her husband. She splashed him playfully with the lake water, to which he responded with more of a tidal wave. The water rose over her, and Maria emerged somehow more soaking than she had been before. Her bright, blue eyes were glistening in a playful manner, and she drew both hands together and with all the force she could gather, sent more water in the direction of her husband.

As they laughed, and as they continued to send water in each others' direction, the sound of children awakening drifted from the villa.

Georg stopped. "I guess this means we should go inside."

Maria took his hand beneath the water. "It's only a matter of time before they will find us."

The Captain gave a relentless sigh and, taking Maria's hand, began to guide them both back to the water's edge. He quickly pulled on his clothes again and drew his lips back to her own one final time before they both walked towards the house, one of his hands protectively around her waist and the other across her expanded stomach.

"We could always go for another swim tonight," Maria suggested as they continued to walk. "Once the children are in bed."

Georg turned and looked at her wickedly. "I don't suppose we could send them to bed after lunch?"

Maria smiled broadly at her husband. "I think they would definitely have something to say about that."

Georg groaned, pulling his wife closer to his side as they climbed the steps towards the back doors of the house. "Then I guess we'll have to tire them out, I'm thinking a picnic, a bike ride, swimming…"

Maria laughed in response. She leant across and kissed her husband's cheek to inaudibly respond to his suggestion. Georg responded by tightening his hold and leading them both into the villa, walking in the direction of the dining room to sit down for breakfast and greet their seven children.

Once settled for breakfast, Georg felt surprisingly at ease, despite all of the political threats that continued to appear around him. Being surrounded by all of his children, and knowing that in two months he would becoming a father again, continued to provide him with the motivation as it always had. His worries were also soothed and eased as his eyes met those of his wife across the table – full of talking, lively children – and they smiled in unison. Georg knew it was not the first time Maria had helped him through difficult times, and he also knew that this would probably not be the last…


End file.
